Gunman shot dead teacher and police officer at Moscow school

February 03, 2014, 14:48 UTC+3GENT - A senior school student shot down the geography
teacher and opened fire at police that arrived after the
alarm bottom signal - investigative committee spokesThe criminal did not have any conflicts with teachers or other students - Minister of Education Dmitry Livanov

MOSCOW, February 03. /ITAR-TASS/. A high-school student shot dead the geography teacher and opened fire at police that arrived after the alarm bottom signal, killing one policeman, said an Investigative Committee (IC) spokesman. The criminal did not have any conflicts with teachers or other students, said Minister of Education Dmitry Livanov, who had earlier arrived at the scene.

“The teenager was a straight-A student, and it is very likely that he had some kind of nervous breakdown. Circumstances of the incident and motives of the student will be investigated,” noted IC spokesman.

The criminal had a smallbore rifle and a short rifle with him. The weapons belonged to his father and were registered legally, said the Interior Ministry.

Moscow police chief Anatoly Yakunin noted that the father talked the armed senior student into freeing children and surrendering. “Talks lasted 15 minutes. The father of the teenager was provided with an armored jacket,” he said.

The teenager has made at least 11 shots from a smallbore rifle. Geography teacher Nikolay Kirillov aged 76 was killed.

The offender was in one of the high-school classes with over 20 students and a teacher.

Moscow police reported that all students and teachers of other classes were set free and evacuated by police officers, as the criminal keeping schoolchildren hostages has been neutralized. The teenager has been detained, and investigators are currently working with him.

The situation in Moscow’s school #263 is under personal control of Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, his spokesperson Gulnara Penkova told journalists. She added that all necessary instructions are given in order to coordinate the work of all city’s services in resolving the situation.

The school building is cordoned off by a dense ring of police. About 30 police and emergencies cars, fire brigades and ambulances are located on the Otradnaya Street. On the site of emergency, a united operational headquarters has been deployed. Passers-by and parents of the schoolchildren are gathering near the school. A heliambulance of Russia's EMERCOM has landed in the school's area.

Upon the incident, a criminal case on hostage taking and attempt on police officer has been filed.